At the Corner Cafe
by brodie-wan
Summary: Castle and Beckett have lunch at the corner cafe and discuss their relationship.


**Author note: I'll be back at 'Parting Thoughts' and 'Castle Drabbles' shortly, but this tangent just begged to come out. I was thinking it might be the final scene of PT, but it turned into something different, independent. I hope you'll enjoy this romantically humorous vignette. **

**At the Corner Café **

'We're friends, right Castle?"

"Yeah," Castle replied intrigued by the question. "Of course."

She leaned forward, elbows on the table, and eyed him intently. "But are we best friends?"

He leaned in as well, leaving on a small gap between their noses. He squinted playfully parodying her intense look. "That remains to be seen."

"How so?" she answered, curious.

Never breaking eye contact, he smiled. "One might say we are only 'work friends'. They might ask 'How much time we've spent alone or even in group outside of the job?'"

Her lips pouted and her eye brows knitted as she considered the comment. "A valid observation. What else might 'they' say?"

"They might say that, though we have had many shared experiences, some quite intense, that there still remain a tenuous foundation for a true best friendship."

He grinned.

She nodded. Her lip curled as she suppressed a smile of her own.

"I'm not sure how I feel about 'them'," Beckett said. "Perhaps, I should interrogate them personally."

"They can be hard to reach," he replied, sitting back in his chair and opening his hands. "Besides, I never said their word was gospel."

"That's a good thing, Castle," Beckett said, proffering both hands across the table. "Because I can think of plenty of times you've been there for me…outside of the job."

"Really?" he said excitedly, leaning forward again. "I need to hear this."

Beckett rolled her eyes.

"Maybe not," he said. "I'll ask _them_ about it."

"No you won't," Beckett insisted. "_Their_ opinion seems rather subversive when it comes to this relationship."

Castle sat up straight placing his hands on the table as well, mere inches from hers. He arched an eyebrow.

"Oh, this relationship," he deadpanned, pointing his index finger back and forth between them. "Before cutting _them_ out of my life, I need to know more about 'this relationship'.

Her gaze turned thoughtful and she moved her left hand to cover the fingers of his right.

"I think we could be best friends, Rick," she said, softly. "The way a man and woman are supposed to be."

Castle was nearly speechless. Heat rose in his body in all the right places. "Wow."

"What do you think?" she asked, looking at him in a way she never had before. There was a new light in her eyes. Dare he say it: a glow.

"I think the sound of your voice is like the sweetest music I could ever imagine. I think being your best friend would be the realization of my greatest fantasy. And, I think that your face is the one I want to see every day for the rest of my life."

Her eyes welled with emotion. "As a friend, right?"

"No," he declared rather seriously. "As my best friend."

Her eyes grew wide as she listened, then narrowed into a knowing stare.

"Good."

"That's it? 'Good'".

"Yeah, that's it. What were you expecting? A Hollywood ending? A kiss to make you see stars?"

"Uh, yeah."

She laughed and squeezed his hand. "Don't think this setting and the body of our conversation is lost on me, Castle. That Hollywood ending isn't far off?"

Caste shook his head at her confusing words. "What are you talking about, Beckett?"

"I'm in a city café with a guy named Rick talking about a lasting friendship. "There's only one thing missing."

She got up and pulled on her coat.

"Nazis!" he said, zipping up his jacket. "How did I miss that?"

"You were too busy staring wantonly into my eyes."

"They are quite a distraction. Very expressive."

"Castle?" she said, taking his arm as they exited the café.

"Yes, Beckett?"

"I' think this is the beginning…" she said, turning and taking his face in her hands and kissing him.

When their lips parted, he breathed: "…of…a beautiful…friendship."


End file.
